WE'RE INVESTING IN A NEW HEADQUARTERS IN SOLIHULL TOWN CENTRE
2024-09-10 08:26:38.0
BNP Paribas Personal Finance has announced plans to open a new headquarters in the centre of Solihull for its UK subsidiary.
From January 2025, BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK, a leading provider of consumer finance, will be moving to a new 25,000 sq. ft office space in Solihull town centre to set up its new UK headquarters.
The move comes after a considerable period of growth and provides the organisation with a modern platform to continue its development, by creating a collaborative environment for its 800 colleagues and enabling a reduction in the environmental impact of its operations.
Stephen Hunt, Chief Executive Officer at BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK, shared his excitement for this significant stage for the company: “Moving to a new headquarters marks another key milestone for our business and having been part of the Solihull community for over 50 years, I am delighted to be continuing this connection to the area, as well as the wider West Midlands region.
“Not only will this space help us to continue to contribute to the local economy; it will also ensure that BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK has a modern, flexible, and efficient working environment that will support our colleagues, particularly as we adopt a more agile way of working.
“To maintain our position as a leading provider of consumer finance in what is a very dynamic and competitive market, we need to keep delivering easy to use, digitally and data driven finance solutions that our customers can trust, and I believe the environment we build is key to helping us do this.”
Whilst the new facility has capacity for the organisation’s current workforce, one of the biggest motivators behind the move is that the space will enable BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK to advance its environmental, social and governance commitments.
In line with BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK’s ambition to reduce its carbon emissions and environmental impact, its new premises has an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of B, which is currently ahead of legislative requirements, and it is hoped it will later improve this to an A rating with the introduction of government support for industrial heat pump installations.
Contributing factors to the site’s environmental credentials include solar panels to power all communal areas of the building, low tariff commitments which will ensure sustainable energy usage, and provisions for electric vehicle charging on-site.
Further than its sustainability benefits, the new headquarters is being designed to create a work environment that encourages a collaborative, agile way of working, but also caters for aspects of colleagues’ lives both within and outside work.
The team overseeing the move has had accessibility and inclusion at the forefront of the design process. As such, the new space offers provisions for wheelchair access, noise sensitivity, religious practices, accessible furnishing, colour blindness, a free on-site gym, collaborative work zones, and more.
Ricardo Mantovani, Deputy CEO at BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK, has been overseeing the move and commented: “When looking for a new space for our headquarters, it was really important to consider how the space would complement the innovative, collaborative culture we foster here at BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK.
“Our new premises, located in the heart of Solihull, is the ideal location to start this new chapter at BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK — one that will take the business to the next level and enable us to operate in a manner that is efficient, innovative and collaborative.”
Since its inception, BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK has seen extraordinary growth; from launching back in 1973 as Selfridges Finance Limited to now supporting over four million customers, welcoming a new customer every 22 seconds.
In the last 50 years, BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK has created over 6,000 jobs across a variety of departments from Marketing to IT, Risk to Customer Services, most of which have been based in Solihull and have had a considerable impact on the local economy.
After residing in Solihull for over 50 years, BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK’s decision to remain in Solihull town centre was welcomed by local businesses, Touchwood, Solihull BID, the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC), as well as Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council. Throughout the project, WMGC supported BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK by providing introductions to key local stakeholders and consultancy to help the business raise its profile in the West Midlands marketplace.
Leader of Solihull Council, Councillor Ian Courts commented: “It’s great news that BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK has found 25,000 sq ft of office space within Solihull town centre that can accommodate their 800 workforce and support their continued growth as a business.
“Their decision to base their HQ in Solihull was also based on their desire to become an even more sustainable business and to reduce their company’s carbon footprint, which this new premises will help them to achieve.
“I think BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK’s decision demonstrates how attractive Solihull town centre remains for organisations as a place to do business and a place to invest in.”